John h



1. H. LAWRENCE.

FLUID DlSERlBUIING MEANS. APPLICAUON FILED NUV.22.1916.

Patented (M. H, 1919.

JOHN H. LAWRENCE, 01' m YORK, I. Y.

FLUID-DISTRIBUTING Km!- Specification 0! Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

Application filed November 88, 1916. Serial 80. 183,791.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Jomr H. Lawannon, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York in the county of New York and State of 1. ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fluid- Distributing Means, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to fluid distributin means and particularly to the control of t e distribution of the fluid supply to a plurality of receptacles wherein varying conditions produce inequalities between the pressures within the individual units.

The invention is specially applicable to boiler feed water heaters arranged in parallel, all discharging into a common suction main leading to the feed water pumps. It has been found diflicult to operate feed water heaters, particularly of the open type, when so connected, because of the tendency toward unequal distribution of the load or a surgin of the overload alternately back and fort between the heaters. This overloading of one heater and consequent underloading of the others is always undesirable in the resultant inefliciency of operation and the extra strains imposed upon the apparatus. When the surgin between heaters takes lace it has a ten ency to build up on itse f to a dangerous degree often requiring the complete shutting down of some of the heaters. These difliculties are largely due to the difl'erences between the bac pressures impressed upon the individual cold water supply means by the rapidly varying conditions within the separate heaters.

It is the object of this invention to prevent these difliculties by providin pressure equalizi passages between the individual units so t at all the supply points are kept at like pressure. change of pressure at one int will be immediately communicated to all the others to equalize the pressures and maintain the normal relations between all the loads. Local conditions are thus made general aifectingequally all of the heaters so that the average pressure of the entire system is impressed on each supply and conditions at all supply points at a given time are the same.

It is a further object of this invention to combine the cold water supply means and their connecting ressure equalizing pipes into a simple an eificient system without the use of expensive special apparatus and m such a way that the piping is readily accommodated to difierent installations and easily adapted to a variable number of heaters.

In the accompan ing drawings,

Figure 1 is a si e elevation of two feed water heaters provided with distributing means embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a detail;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a modificat'loi l; and d ig. 4 is a ia mmatic showi of a further modificatigii? ng In the embodiment of the invention, spe-' cifically disclosed herein, 1 and 2 are feed water heaters of the open type receiving their su gfly of cold water from pipes 3 and 4. team is supplied to both heaters from pipe 5, and the cold water in passing through the heater has its temperature raised by contact with the steam. The hot water is drawn oil from the lower part of the heaters through pipes 6 and 7 by the common suction main 8 leading to the feed water pumps. Vent pipes 9 and 10 are provided to carry off the air and excess steam from the heaters.

The pipes 3 and 4 preferably receive their supply of water from a common source, such as main 11 through connections 12 and 13. Each supply pipe is formed to produce a jet or stream running into a. relatively large passage containing an atmosphere of gas or vapor surroundin the entering flow. In the ap aratus 51mm each suppl pipe is provid with an apertured diap ragm to determine the flow, diaphragm 14 in pipe 3 and diaphragm 15 in pipe 4. Openings 16 and 17 in diaphragms 14 and 15, respectively, are accurately dimensioned to proportion the flows with relation to the heater capacities. Through these apertures 16 and 17 the cold water supply enters the supply pipes or heaters in the form of streams or ets.

The pressure against each supply jet is the pressure in its corres onding pipe on the heater side of the diap ragm. 11 order to avoid relative variations in these back pressures on the individual supplies, pipes 3 and 4 are connected by pipe 20. The connectin passage afforded by pipe 20 equalizes t e pressures in pipes 3 and 4 and maintains like pressures on the sup 1y streams. A change of pressure in eitlier pipe 3 or 4 will be immediately communicated to the other pipe and the conditions surrounding the entering jets will thus be ke t the same.

he piping is preferably arranged to make the water pressure at the diapliragms equal so that the sizes of the diaphragm apertures will determine the relative flows to the heaters. In the system shown in Fig. 4, a common connecting (pipe 39 above diaph s 14', 15' is ad ed between pipes 3 and 4 to insure equal liquid pressures at the diaphragms. It is evident that this pipe 39 may be similarly applied to other systems, such as that of Fig. 1. Normally p pe 39 above the diaphragms will be filled with water while the ipe 20 below will contain an atmosphere 0? gas or vapor.

To permit one of the heaters to be shut down caving the other in operation, valves 21 and 22 are provide] in the water supply pipes, valves 21' and 22' in the steam supply, and valves 28 and 24 in the discharge while cross pipe 20 is provided with valve 25. By closing valve 25 and by closing co nding valves 21, 21' and 23, or 22, 22' and 24, one of the heaters will be shut down while the other remains in operation.

To regulate the cold water supply, pipe 11 is provided with a valve 30 controlled automatically by the average level of hot water accumulated in the bottom of the heaters. For instance, these hot water reservoirs may be both connected to an intermediate equalizin tank 31; and a float 32 on the common leve of the water in this tank connected to and control the supply valve of pipe 11 b linkage 33. Tank 31 is connected to eac heater reservoir by pipes and connections to the upper portions of the heaters may also be provided to prevent this tank from becomin air bound. Movement of this valve 30 varies the flow from pipe 11 to raise or lower the fluid supply pressure at the diaphragm apertures 16 and 17.

The inlet pipes 3 and 4 are shown branched above the heaters as at 26-27, 28-29, all the supply branches for a given heater being led to a common top recep tacle within the heater. Each supply pipe may be provided with a water seal.

The system of this invention can readily be applied to heaters of dilferent capacities by correspondingly dimensioning the areas of the diaphragm apertures. The invention may be extended to more than two heaters by duplicating the plarts and connecting all the supply points y a common pressure equalizing passage. In such case, the intermediate supply pipes will have a plurality of by-pass ipes 2020 branching off from them (see lhg. 3) and connecting all the inlet jet chambers into one m.

The apparatus of this invention is simple and inexpensive, standard parts are made use of, and the system is easily applied to existing installations. The operation of the distributor is not dependent upon the uilibriiim of the apparatus or on an easily isturbed water level. No separate tank and intricate system of distributing stand pi es of special construction are required. The maintenance of like pressures on all the sup- 1plies assures a normal distribution of the oad at all times, thus enabling each heater to be used at its best efficiency and at the same time avoiding any surging of the load back and forth between the heaters.

It is evident that the connecting pipe 20 may be variously positioned with relation to the heaters, that the diaphragm apertures may be made adjustable in size, and that the supply water jets may be directed in any suitable manner. The arrangement and proportioning of the parts may be widely varied without departing from the principle of the invention which -is not confined to the articular embodiment shown and described ut is intended to cover such modifications thereof as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. The combination of a plurality of heating units, and means for automatically and simultaneously supplying an equal quantity of water to each unit by equalizing the back pressures in the individual supply passages.

2. The combination of a plurality of heating units, and means for automaticall equalizing the back pressures in the in ividual we supply passa 3. The com ination of a plurality of heating units, and means for supplying an equal quantity of water to each unit, dependent upon equal 'ba/ck pressures in the supply passages to said units.

4. The combination of a plurality of heating units, and means for automatically and simultaneously supplying an equal quantity of water to each unit, dependent upon equal back pressures in the supply passages to said units.

5. The combination of a plurality of heating units, and means for supplying an equal quantity of water from a common distributing oint to the various heating units, depen ent upon equal back pressures in the supply passages to said units.

The combination with a pluralit of water heaters, of a water feed to said eaters, branch supplies leading from said feed to said heaters, and auxiliary means for maintaining constant relative flows of water through said supplies comprising means for regulating the supply to one heater according to the relative fluctuations in pressure in another heater.

7. The combination with a plurality of water heaters, of a water feed to said heaters, branch supplies leading from said feed to said heaters and means for controlling the flow of water through said supplies comprisin means for varying the back pressures of sai heaters on said supplies so as to substantially equalize said back pressures under all conditions and maintain constant relative flows to the dilferent heaters.

8. In a fluid distributin system for a plurality of heaters the com ination with a plurality of supply passages one for each heater, of means for producing an entering jet within each of said passages, and a common connection between said passages for equalizing the back pressures on said entering jets.

9. In a fluid distributing system for a plurality of heaters, the combination with a single supply source for all of the heaters, of a plurality of distributing pipes directly connected thereto, means in each of said pipes for producing an entering jet, and a common passage connecting all of said pipes to equalize the back pressures on the entering ets.

10. In a fluid distributing system for a plurality of heaters, the combination with a single supply source for all of the heaters, of a plurality of distributing pipes directly connected thereto, means in each of said pipes for producingan entering jet, and a common-passage connecting all of said pipes to equalize the pressures on the jet producing means.

11. The combination with a plurality of heaters, of liquid supply pipes for said heaters, apertured diaphragms for controlling the flow within each of said pipes, and a connecting assage between said pipes for equalizing t e back pressures on said diaphragms.

12. The combination with a plurality of heaters, of liquid supply pipes for said heaters, apertured diaphragms for controlling the fiow within each of said pipes. a connecting passage between said pipes for equalizing the back pressures on said diaphragms, and a second passage between said pipes for equalizing the pressures on said diaphragms.

13. The combination with a plurality of feed water heaters arranged in parallel to discharge into a common suction main, of a cold water supply pipe for each heater, an apertured diaphragm in each supply pipe, and a pressure equalizing connection etween said pipes.

In testimon whereof I afiix my signature, in presence 0 two witnesses.

JOHN H. LAWRENCE.

Witnesses:

WM. S. Momuson, WALTER M. KEENAN. 

